News of the Weird: Week of September 12, 2024

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Look, Don't Touch

Picture it: a curious young boy at a museum. An ancient artifact unprotected by glass. Bet you can't guess what happened next. On Aug. 23, reports CNN, a 4-year-old boy visited the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, with his parents. According to the child's father, the boy noticed a large ceramic container and "pulled the jar slightly," wanting to see what was inside -- accidentally smashing the 3,500-year-old relic in the process. Museum officials were unfazed: "We are appealing to parents: Don't be afraid. Things like this happen," said museum head Inbal Rivin. "We will fix (the jar) and put it back." The Hecht Museum displays some items without protective cases, a nod to founder Reuben Hecht's belief in allowing the public to experience archaeological finds with as few barriers as possible. The jar dates to between 2200 B.C. and 1500 B.C., and was likely used for storing and transporting liquid goods such as wine or oil. Finding an intact vessel was something of a rarity, and restoration efforts are already underway.

Book Lover Booked

A 71-year-old flat owner in Rome woke one night to find a burglar in his residence ... reading a book about the Iliad. The BBC reported on Aug. 24 that the would-be burglar claims he broke into the building to visit someone else and simply found himself in the wrong unit. Spotting Giovanni Nucci's book "The Gods at Six O'Clock," a retelling of The Iliad from a divine perspective, the 38-year-old settled in for story time. When the homeowner awoke and confronted him, the thief attempted to get away via the balcony, but was soon arrested. News of the bookworm burglar made its way to the author, who said he'd like to give the criminal a copy: "... he'll have been arrested halfway through reading it. I'd like him to be able to finish it." Nucci added that his favorite deity is Hermes, the god of thieves -- and of literature.

Better Late Than Never

The U.K.-based Royal Mail service delivered a postcard to the Swansea Building Society in Wales -- a mere 121 years after it was posted. The BBC reported on Aug. 21 that the Christmas-themed postcard was addressed to "Miss Lydia Davies" and signed by "Ewart." Among other lines, Ewart apologizes for not picking up a "pair" of an unknown item: "I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home." The postcard made waves online after Henry Darby, the Swansea Building Society's marketing and communications officer, found it when sorting through the post. Unable to find any information about Lydia, he took to social media for help. West Glamorgan Archives confirmed that a John Davies once lived at the address in question with his wife, Maria, and six children -- including Lydia, who would have been 16 when the postcard was sent.

Unclear on the Concept

A groundhog made headlines In Hollidaysburg, Pennylvania, about an hour from Punxsutawney -- but not for predicting the weather. Fun-seekers playing the claw machine at a local arcade realized that one of the "stuffed animals" was blinking back at them, reported the Associated Press on Aug. 14. Manager Lynn Castle of The Meadows frozen custard and mini-golf isn't sure how the critter got in, but said it almost took an army to release the rodent. Employees contacted the machine's owners, who passed the buck to the police department, who called in the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Game wardens were able to open the machine and set the rodent, dubbed Colonel Custard, free in a nearby field. Castle and The Meadows wasted no time capitalizing on the incident, making T-shirts that said "Respect the Groundhog" and naming a frozen treat flavor after their furry visitor. "It's a good story that ended well," Castle said. "He got set free. No one got bit."

U R in Trouble

Some people yell, throw things or shut down when they get mad. Not Dr. Giovanni Baula. According to court records in St. Petersburg, Florida, on two separate occasions, the good doctor expressed his ire with Dr. Dylan Dinesh by dousing the latter's office doors in gallons of fluid that smelled suspiciously like urine. As The Smoking Gun reports, court documents say the liquid "soaked into the front wooden doors, causing irreparable damage." Dinesh's practice suffered $6,000 worth of losses, in addition to the $1,500 to replace the doors. Baula was arrested and charged with a felony count of criminal mischief, but released after paying a $5,000 bond. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Baula doesn't exactly have a clean rap sheet. In 2003, he was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the Board of Medicine for a number of standard-of-care violations, including improperly prescribing medication for a telehealth client that he never physically examined. His medical license expires in January 2025.

Is Nowhere Sacred?

Thanat Thangtewanon of Thailand recently had a bathroom break that was, well, nuts. India's Deccan Herald reported that on Aug. 22, what started as a routine trip to the washroom ended with Thangtewanon killing the python that had bitten his testicles. "I felt something biting my balls, which was very painful, so I put my hands in," he said. After whacking the reptile on the head with a toilet brush until it died and released its grip, Thangtewanon headed to the hospital for a tetanus shot. Doctors assured him that his injury wasn't too deep, and that no stitches would be required. Perhaps he should count himself lucky, all things considered -- pythons are known for suffocating and squeezing their prey to death!

Party Hearty

On Aug. 28 in Almhult, Sweden -- the site of the first IKEA store -- 2,052 of the furniture giant's employees donned two-piece pajamas and set a Guinness World Record for "the largest-ever gathering of people wearing two-piece pajamas in a single venue" ... or, you know, the world's largest pajama party. The matching pjs featured images of lingonberry jam and gravy, an homage to the store's iconic Swedish meatballs. The party was scheduled to align with IKEA's new yearlong initiative to "innovate a range of sleep products to improve every aspect of home that supports better rest," according to a company statement.

Take It Down the Road

One surefire way to go viral online? Call out Wendy's. Tired of customers complaining about long waiting times, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported that Patti Childers, owner of the Salt Water Grille in Longs, South Carolina, posted a sign on the restaurant door that said: "Other than the buffet -- our food is cooked to order. If you are in a hurry, Wendy's is right down the road or come another time. Everybody in Horry County cannot eat between 5-8 on Friday night. Please don't expect speedy service during those hours." The sign went viral after being picked up and posted by a Facebook page called Bitchy Waiters. "It was more or less a joke," Childers said.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Amy Slaton, 36 -- best known for starring on TLC's "1000-Lb Sisters" alongside her sister, Tammy -- was arrested on Labor Day on charges of drug possession and child endangerment, after an incident at the Alamo safari park in Tennessee. Police were responding to reports that a guest had been bitten by a camel, but they noticed "suspicious odors" coming from Slaton's vehicle, leading to the arrest. The Daily Mail reported that Slaton has lost 176 pounds since she had weight-loss surgery five years ago.

The Solution Became the Problem

On Sept. 3, the Kyodo News reported that a decades-long effort to eradicate mongoose from Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture has been declared a success by Japan's Environment Ministry. One minor detail: The mongooses (mongeese?) were not native to the island -- they had, in fact, been introduced on the island in 1979, when about 30 mongooses were imported to eradicate the habu, a species of venomous viper. One problem: The mongooses are active during the daytime, while the snakes they were supposed to cull are nocturnal. So rather than doing the one job they were hired for, the mongooses, whose numbers swelled to around 10,0000 by the turn of the century, played havoc on the rabbit population and destroyed crops and native fauna. The eradication effort included the placement of 30,000 traps and even a mongoose-sniffing dog. "This is an achievement that could contribute to the preservation of rare species and the natural heritage," Environment Minister Shintaro Ito said.

Malpractice

William Bryan, 70, died during a splenectomy at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Alabama, on Aug. 21. But USA Today reports that Bryan's family has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging that surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky, who was supposed to remove Bryan's spleen, removed his liver instead, causing massive blood loss and killing Bryan. After the fatal procedure, a pathologist identified tissue from the removed organ, which had been labeled "spleen," was actually liver tissue, and an autopsy on Bryan confirmed that his spleen was still in his body. "We take allegations like this very seriously," said a statement from Ascension emailed to USA Today, "and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event."

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